Cons

Bottom Line

This hotel, located directly on Waikiki Beach, has many admirable features: a great pool deck, three affordable restaurants with vibrant atmosphere, a spa, artwork and activities that get visitors in touch with Hawaiian culture, and spacious, tastefully decorated, tropical-themed rooms. In short, one of the best Waikiki choices in its price range.

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A $110 million renovation in early 2009 gave this moderately priced beachfront resort a casually elegant vibe and turned it into one of the freshest-looking properties in Waikiki.

The tastefully executed nautical theme, characterized by a century-old Hoaloha koa canoe suspended from the lobby's high ceiling, garnered a coveted Keep It Hawaii hospitality award in 2008.

But it's not an old boat that's boosted this property's profile and value; rather, it's the pleasant pool deck, the state-of-the-art fitness room and business center, the spa, daily activities (like hula dancing and ukulele playing), cocktail-hour entertainment, plus spacious, well-appointed rooms with both tropical and modern touches -- all of which was renovated in 2009. The hotel also cut the overall number of rooms from 900 to 639 in order to expand even the standard ones.

In fact, everything at this Outrigger is a distinct cut above average, except the level of service, which is competent but not particularly impressive. Nevertheless, this fresh, beachfront property is one of the best values among midpriced hotels in Waikiki.

Directly on the beach, this Outrigger is located on the quieter, western side of Waikiki, but close to the shopping and dining.

The Outrigger is on the western end of Kalia Road, directly on the beach, next to luxury properties like the Halekulani and with the 38-floor Trump Towers across the street. The immediate area is decidedly mellower than the other end of the main strip, yet plenty close to the shopping and restaurants the area is known for.

Across the street, there's the newly finished Waikiki Beach Walk,an eight-acre, double-level retail and restaurant shopping center. A five-minute walk will get visitors to the center of Waikiki, with attractions like the International Market Place and Kalakaua Avenue, a touristy, milelong stretch of shops, restaurants, and high-rise hotels.

Wide variety of shopping, dining, and drinking -- all within walking distance

Spacious rooms, with extremely comfortable beds, 32-inch flat-screen TVs, clean, and well-appointed bathrooms with marble countertops. During the renovation, the hotel decreased the number of rooms from 900 to 639 in order to expand the size of the rooms -- even the standard ones, which range from 340 to 400 square feet.

The least expensive rooms, so-called moderates, are spacious but have no balconies.

The thoughtful renovation included the lovely pool deck, which has comfortable lounge chairs and three whirlpools, and the spa. The hotel also offers daily activities like lei-making and hula dancing. Plus there's a twice-weekly traditional Hawaiian vow renewal ceremony for couples.

Situated on (not across the street from) one of the world's most famous beaches; Fort DeRussy Beach is the closest subsection.

Located on Kalia Road, Outrigger Reef on the Beach is as beachside as one can get in Waikiki. This is a real luxury -- at most Waikiki hotels, it's a haul to go from pool to beach; here, they're a few steps apart.

Loosely speaking, the entire 1.5-mile stretch of sand alongside Kalakaua Avenue is known as Waikiki Beach. In reality, it's more like three separate beaches, the borders of which vary depending on whom you ask. The Outrigger Reef on the Beach is located a block from the Fort DeRussy section, which is far less crowded than its more famous neighbor to the southeast, Queen's Beach. The water is shallow, warm, and calm, making Fort DeRussy a decent place to swim, especially for kids.

Public beach

Ocean bottom is rocky, unlike neighboring Queen's Beach

Lifeguards monitor the beach throughout the day

Free towels, provided by the hotel from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Umbrellas and lounge chairs must be rented from one of the many Star Beach Boys stands

Water-sports equipment, like surfboards and boogie boards, available for rental at the Star Beach Boys stands

This hotel gets high marks for cleanliness, especially in the guest rooms, which still have a barely-been-used feel. Some sand can be seen at the beachside entrance near the restaurants, but that's a small price to pay for having the ocean so close -- and staffers diligently sweep the entranceway several times a day.

The casual and constantly busy Shore Bird Restaurant serves up a buffet and a la carte menus three meals a day. Breakfast and lunch buffets. A la carte options for lunch include ahi tacos, mahi mahi sandwiches, burgers, and turkey clubs. For dinner, guests find it fun to select their surf or turf and grill it themselves on one of the grills out back.

Kani Ka Pila Grill, next to the pool, serves a sit-down breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening pupus, and some inventive cocktails. The restaurant features nightly live entertainment from award-winning Hawaiian musicians.

Kani Ka Pila Grill provides the room service

Starbucks, located near the hotel's entrance, opens at 5 a.m., just in time to give the early morning surfers a java jolt.